Ankle injuries, particularly those to supporting ligaments, have been found to be some of the most substantial lost time injuries in competitive sports. At least one study has found that such ankle injuries are the number one lost time injury in competitive sports. It has been estimated that over 83% of ankle sprains among British soccer players required more than one month's loss of competition. Other studies have shown, among basketball players, that more than 90% have histories of ankle sprains with 76% suffering recurrent sprains. A 2000 study by, Richard, Schulties & Saret, found that 20% to 50% of injuries in sports involving running and jumping are ankle injuries. Ankle injuries can also occur in non-competitive exercise, in the home, and in the work place, on a day to day basis.
Previous attempts to prevent or minimize ankle injuries have included the utilization of high top and tightly laced athletic, or other types of shoes, as well as taping, and the utilization of commercially available ankle brace devices.
Examples of external straps include U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,656, to Cooper, for an Ankle Brace capable of being worn with conventional footwear; U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,647, to Hely, for a Self-Tightening Ankle Brace; U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,617, to McCormick et al, for a Non-Bulky Ankle Brace for use with Footwear; U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,713, to Hayashi, for a Moldable Custom Fitted Ankle Brace; U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,010, to Bodmer, for a Heal and Ankle Appliance; U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,404, to Kallassy, for a Universal Ankle Support; U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,762, to Hess et al, for an Ankle Joint Orthosis; U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,691, to Cueman et al, for an Ankle Brace with Densified Batting, including a means for securing the brace to the ankle, such as Velcro® closures; as well as U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,476, to Garcia, for an Ankle Support Bandage for Prevention of Ankle Injury.
Additionally, the prior art discloses attempts by inventors to provide footwear with strap or brace elements incorporated within an athletic shoe itself, to prevent ankle injury. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,608, to Peterson, for a Shoe with Ankle Strap Protector; U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,875, to Johnson, for an invention captioned Athletic Footwear with Integral Ankle Support, which includes a pair of resilient braces attached to the sole interlining and calf support collar of an athletic shoe; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,630, to Robinson, for an Athletic Shoe with Inversion Resisting Device, including a light engaging strap disposed only on the lateral side of the shoe upper.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,156, to Jimenez Ramos, for a device to avoid twists in ankles, provides an independent removable device, attached directly to the leg above the ankle and to the external side of footwear.
One of the significant factors regarding athletic injuries and athletic shoes, involves the tendency, particularly for “inversion” ankle injuries, of the ankle and foot to turn or move within the shoe and to allow the shoe's sole to act as a fulcrum, increasing the inversion pressure on the ankle, leading to serious injury. This “fulcrum” function may also exist in non-athletic situations, and in circumstances where the ankle must be restrained post-injury for therapeutic purposes, whether or not the injury originated athletically. Separate ankle wraps do not address this problem, when the foot and ankle of the user is still allowed to move within the footgear. Likewise, ankle wrapping devices, when the wrapped and/or restrained ankle is inserted into footgear, even with separate tightening devices for the footgear, do not prevent this inversion injury causing movement. Strapping devices affixed only to the exterior or interior of a user's shoe do not address the movement of the foot within the footwear, nor do they alleviate potential of a shoe upper to stretch, or otherwise allow movement. Further, known shoe devices, without a separate ankle wrap, or tape, attached thereto, fail to provide the degree of support for the joints and ligaments of the ankle during movement, even if the particular shoe may be somewhat stabilized by use of strapping devices contained within it.
Thus, a need exists for a device, and method of affixation thereof, for use in athletic competition, day to day non-athletic use, and therapeutic use, which will provide the support of a direct taping or brace system for the ankle, as well as incorporate the same, by attachment, to shoes of all types, including, but not limited to, an athletic shoe, to provide an integrated brace and shoe system, which will inhibit inverted movement of the ankle within the shoe, and prevent the shoe itself from acting as a fulcrum for such invertive stress on the ankle.
Further, a need exists, for a device and method which would allow the benefits of the current invention in combination with any manufactured athletic shoe or other types of shoe and any otherwise available commercial brace or ankle wrap.
The current invention addresses a significant need in the manner set forth in the brief Summary, Drawings and Detailed Description of the Invention and method which follow.